Grave of the Fireflies

Touching and terribly sad anime about Japanese children, a brother and sister, trying to survive under American bombings (conventional, non-nuclear) at the end of World War II.

The book was written in the 1960s and is considered a classic of Japanese literature. It was written by Akiyuki Nosaka based on real events from his biography: during the war, two of his sisters and his adoptive father died from diseases, hunger, and bombings.

The film adaptation was planned as part of the school curriculum and was released in conjunction with Hayao Miyazaki's "My Neighbor Totoro" to "push" "Totoro" to the audience (no one knew yet that Totoro would soon overshadow everyone).

"Grave of the Fireflies" is considered one of the best war films and confidently occupies the top spots in various authoritative lists of world animation.